Last night we had a huge storm which put on quite a scary display of thunder and lightning. Cody, my Shihtzu/Maltese/Chihuahua cross, is terrified of storms! At the slightest sound of distant thunder he searches out a hiding place where he promptly parks himself and pants anxiously while he waits out the demon storm. Last night was no different and Cody's choice for a safe haven was inside Bradley's built-in wardrobe. He pushed, climbed, and squeezed his way through the suitcases to get as far into the wardrobe as he could. I hate to see him so frantic and nothing I do or say will console him. When the worst of the storm cleared, we managed to coax him out of the wardrobe but it took him ages to settle down.
This morning we woke to find that we had no phone or internet connection as the storm had caused damage to one of the local telephone exchanges and I was told the problem may not be repaired until Monday. I was upset that it would mean me breaking my commitment to post daily for the month of November (NaBloPoMo) but, someone up there must have heard my silent and loud pleas for help because, it was fixed within a couple of hours. YAY!
We've had storms again today and there is talk of more tonight so I figured I'd get this post done now, just in case.
We've had storms again today and there is talk of more tonight so I figured I'd get this post done now, just in case.
Poor little Cody! He's like my Stinky who hides during storms and home repairs... in the basement walls! Here's hoping your internet sticks! :)
ReplyDeleteOh, that poor baby! Hope the weather settles and he can feel better!
ReplyDeleteAhhh! Poor little fellow! My last dog was like that. He was too big to fit somewhere like that though. All 76 long legged pounds of him would try to fit on your lap to weather the storm.
ReplyDeleteOh poor Cody what a trial for him.
ReplyDeleteoh poor guy :( have you tried any meds from the vets?
ReplyDeleteThanks, Genie! Poor Stinky...it's difficult to console them, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteSandi - My parents had a German Shepherd who was terrified of storms and he was also very hard to console and a little too big to hide under things or in cupboards.
Thanks, Darla ~ :)
Yes, Shashi, I hate storms because I know how much they upset Cody. Apart from trying to soothe and calm him, all we can do is to let him find a place he feels is safe and secure for himself.
Jennifer - I've heard medications don't make a huge difference to their fear and I'm not sure I feel comfortable with the idea at this point in time anyways. For now, we try to console him as best we can.
ReplyDeletemeds can sometimes help but if he is really really scared he would have to be pretty doped up which is never a good thing :/
ReplyDeletePoor Cody!
ReplyDeleteOh your poor baby! Cute pic of her behind the suitcase. Hope you don't get too extreme of storms.
ReplyDeleteAww...poor little guy. Isabella gets the same way and just kills me to see her so terrified and miserable. the vet put her on Xanax for storms and it's helped so much. She still is uneasy, but doesn't do that pitiful panting and drooling. It takes about 45 minutes to kick in, so I have to watch the weather radar and medicate her before a storm hits. You might talk to your vet about it for Cody. What I like about it is that it doesn't make her act or look drugged, just lessens the anxiety.
ReplyDeleteI figure the noise of storms is loud to us, imagine how magnified that is for animals with ultra sensitive hearing! No wonder so many of them cower and hide!! Poor baby!!
ReplyDeleteAw, the poor thing. I have a friend who had a dalmation who was terrified of storms and did a lot of damage to the house if he was home alone in a storm. He would try to dig a hole. In the floor. In the door. In the waterbed.
ReplyDeleteJennifer - That's what I don't feel comfortable with at this point in time...doping him up. We have a lot of severe storms in summer.
ReplyDeleteYeah, Michelle. I feel so helpless when storms hit.
Sandy - I don't like our summer storms much at all because of the damage they can inflict. A house was struck by lightning in that night's storm and it looked like a bomb had hit it.
Thanks so much for the info, Linda. It's helpful to know how the Xanax affects Isabella. Now, if I can just get my own head around the idea because it's not an easy decision to make. On one of the animal programs I watched a while back, they showed this therapy where you play your dog a storm DVD and gradually build it up louder and louder over a period of time until they desensitise. Not sure how that would work with Cody but something to consider I guess.
Sherry♥Lee - That's right. Cody hates fireworks too so it's definitely a noise thing.
Karmacoy - Oh, the poor Dalmatian! I'm sure my Mum and Dad's German Shepherd would have done the same thing if nobody was home during a storm. He became quite a handful for my parents.
Poor Cody! I had chihuahuas when I was a teen and they shook and whined during thunderstorms and fireworks--hid under the furniture. Nothing seemed to help. But they were just fine afterwards. That idea of the storm DVD--never heard of that. Might be worth a try?? :)
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